Attention, Filmmakers: Avid Will Introduce Free Version of Media Composer

Attention, Filmmakers: Avid Will Introduce Free Version of Media Composer

Avid, the film and video software company, announced big news at NAB 2015: It will be introducing a free version of Media Composer, the industry’s most widely used professional editing system. A subscription to the powerful video editing software runs around $50/month.

The new version of the software, Media Composer I First, will be introduced later this year. Though Avid hasn’t shared many details about how the new free software will differ from the paid version, the trimmed down version is clearly intended as a way to attract new customers — namely, inexperienced and aspiring editors.

The catch? Since the free system is geared to inexperienced and aspiring editors, pros will likely need to continue shelling out $50/month.

“Media Composer | First is perfect for aspiring video professionals, video enthusiasts, students, and people interested in experiencing the video editing software used to create 99% of primetime television shows and the vast majority of major motion pictures. It’s a great way to get started in video editing,” wrote Avid in its FAQ about the new system.

Unfortunately, Avid hasn’t detailed the limitations of Media Composer I First compared to the the full Media Composer. However, as part of its FAQ, Avid shared the following information hinting at its limitations:

“You can expect a limited feature set that makes Media Composer | First less intimidating to new users, but also less appealing to power users. You can expect fewer settings, menus, timeline tracks, monitor features, bin features, titling features, effects and other features than the full Media Composer. You can also expect that Media Composer | First won’’t work with Avid Interplay Production, Interplay MAM, or MediaCentral UX, and that shared projects won’t be supported on ISIS storage systems. In addition, all projects will be stored in the cloud, and you’ll get a limited number of projects and a limited amount of cloud storage space. There will be options to expand Media Composer | First, from additional project and storage capacity to plug-ins, options, and additional applications to stock footage and music to upgrades to the full Media Composer.”